O’Connor’s directorial perspective as a woman surely enhances the empathy and understanding with which Emily is portrayed in the film. [...]“Emily” breathes life into an artist, enriching the art itself with a fuller perspective on the human being who birthed said creation. It is a captivating and emotional film, one that allows you to temporarily inhabit the beauty and the pain of an unrealized genius. (Evan Fitch)
Despite O’Connor’s eye for detail and evident comfortability behind the camera, there are some rather odd choices in “Emily” that can take the viewer out of the moment, notably one scene in the first half of the film. In this scene, Emily (Mackey), her siblings Charlotte (Alexandra Dowling), Anne (Amelia Gething) and Branwell (Fionn Whitehead), and their father’s new curate, William Weightman (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), play a game. They take turns putting a mask over their faces and pretending to be a well-known figure while the others guess who they are portraying. There are cuts to black used to show the passing of time as they laugh and play the game, although this feels unnecessary. Likely not more than 20 minutes passed in the world of the film between each cut to and from black, so it feels rather strange. It pauses the film in a way that suggests plenty of time passed when that was not the case. It does not even make sense stylistically as this type of cut is never used again in the film.Without giving away too much of the film’s intrigue, it must be said that the relevance of the mask to the film and its functionality as a symbol of strangeness is never quite utilized in a way that makes a whole lot of sense with the rest of the story. Is Emily really strange like people say, or was there just a societal distrust of intellectual women? This is a question that is toyed with by O’Connor. Emily’s occasional fixation on this mask suggests that she is truly strange in some manner. This would be fine and, in fact, rather interesting, if not for the fact that the scenes involving this mask are brief, confusing, and feel out of place in the narrative.The script is lacking in some areas and fails to depict how certain supporting characters get from one decision to the next or change their opinion of a person. Character development is apparently something reserved only for a select few, specifically Emily and Weightman, with whom Emily has an affair in the film (but not in real life). Although, where clear development exists, the film prevails.The central romance is by far the strongest part of the film. It is a beautiful and painful story of sexual repression and longing. Hope flickers, burns, then dies in Emily during the time that she knows and falls in love with Weightman. It is heart-wrenching to watch play out, but once their story begins, the film starts to soar.It must also be mentioned that Emily’s closeness with her brother Branwell is better understood as the film goes on. This is a particularly fascinating relationship that is explored well. The stirring score by Abel Korzeniowski exemplifies this bond between Emily and Branwell, particularly in the piece “Freedom in Thought,” named for a scene in which the two shout this phrase at the hilly plains in front of them. The score in general is a highlight of the film. It is memorable and has a clear place within the film apart from just being used to underscore dialogue.“Emily,” while not without its many faults, is a stunning portrait of a brilliant woman and the people around her. The story falters a bit at times, but comes back at full force when it truly needs to. (Lily Lipka)
Malgré cette grande liberté historique, Emily reste une ode intéressante à la sempiternelle – et classique, particulièrement au cinéma – dualité entre passion et raison. Frances O’Connor y laisse transparaître son admiration pour l’écrivaine. C’est à quinze ans, dans un bus, qu’elle découvre son œuvre. Elle est alors touchée par la liberté dont Emily Brontë fait preuve vis-à-vis de certains codes. Dans son film, la réalisatrice fait cependant le choix assumé de s’éloigner de la réalité historique. À travers la relation entre son héroïne et le pasteur, elle créé une nouvelle bataille à l’écrivaine. Néanmoins, elle ne prétend pas proposer un documentaire historique mais un regard singulier et résolument imaginatif sur celle avec qui elle entretient « une relation très personnelle ». S’en tenant à cela, ce long-métrage justement rythmé semble tenir ses promesses. (Aude Cuilhé) (Translation)
Porté par une Emma Mackey (Sex Education) au sommet de son art, le film vaut le détour pour son héroïne inspirante, sensible et fougueuse, que la réalisatrice met en scène dans le paysage tourmenté de la campagne anglaise. Certaines scènes du film dénotent par leur inventivité et leur audace, notamment lors de certains moments où, pour évoquer la question du deuil qui travaille l’héroïne, le film glisse légèrement vers le registre paranormal, tout en relevant d’une immense poésie. On vous le promet : ce mélange des genres ne vous laissera pas indemne. (Maya Boukella) (Translation)
As much as I loved and adored the unlikely romance between these two, Jane & Edward felt more like Jane’s story to me. I don’t mean that as a critique, though. Jane was such a great character who had dealt with so much and she just wanted to be happy. While her journey might not have been the easiest, watching how she handled everything and watching her become stronger as the book went on was incredible.Jane & Edward paid homage to the classic while still putting a modern twist on it which I loved along with seeing all of the references to the original story. However, if you haven’t read the source material, I don’t think you’ll be lost. The story will immediately suck you in and you won’t be able to stop reading.As far as critiques of the story, the only issue I had was that it felt like the romance came a little out of nowhere. While it’s true to the source material, I do think that romance could have had a larger role in the story. Regardless, I still enjoyed Jane & Edward. (Rebecca Mills)
There’s a moment in your novel where Jane is invited to join Jonesy’s world tour. It would be great for her career, but it would also force her to give up any sense of independence for seven months — and the sense of existential dread she’s feeling about making that commitment really comes across.Oh yeah, I’ve actually felt that — I toured a lot with the band, and I definitely used those feelings for the scene — but I also based that scene on Jane Eyre, which was such a great tool in crafting the structure of the book. In Jane Eyre, she’s asked to make this decision whether to spend her life as a missionary’s wife — she would have to go with him on a trek to India for seven years, I think — or does she follow her heart and find Mr. Rochester again? And I identified with Jane, and I identified with that feeling of repetition; somewhere inside of her, she knows that if she just keeps repeating the one thing she’s known for, and is never able to break away from that mold of how she’s been stereotyped, it will become who she is. I don’t want to give too much away to your readers, but it’s really cool that you pointed out that moment, because it was really emotional for me to write it. Like, tears were streaming down my face as I was writing it. [laughs]Setting the story in England — was that a nod to Jane Eyre as well?Yeah — I loved the whole idea of a gothic setting in a modern novel, like Manderley, the giant mansion in Rebecca. And Oxford, where Jane’s love interest lives, provides a great setting for this fish out of water story, because it’s so different from Los Angeles, where she’s from. So the gothic element in the story is city of Oxford, and even England to some extent. There was a whole version of the book where she kind of limps back home to LA, and it was kind of cool. But at the end of the day, I wanted to keep her in Europe and then I wanted to have her go to the south of France — that was just fun because I always think of Keith Richards and all those great Rolling Stones pictures at Nellcôte. (Dan Epstein)
Henrietta Mann, a Cheyenne woman and academic whose work has focused on building Native American education, and whose extremely enjoyable master’s thesis was on bird imagery in Jane Eyre. (“The fact that the tree will no longer serve as a retreat for birds is a foreshadowing of burned Thornfield Hall, which will no longer shelter Jane and Rochester, whose love flourishes there.”) (Janet Manley)
Gothic steampunk in particular is marked by a feeling of eeriness. Think Jane Eyre wandering the foggy moors, only this time, she has a mechanical eye and the fog is made of steam. Since the beginning, steampunk has featured supernatural elements. Gothic steampunk kicks it up a notch with magic, alchemy, and monsters. Classic gothic themes of morality and beauty fill the pages. (Courtney Rodgers)
Edmund Dulac was a French British illustrator and stamp designer. He was born in 1882 and grew up in Toulouse. Studying law originally, he decided to pursue an art education instead. He attended Ecole des Beaux-Arts before moving to London, where he received a significant commission to illustrate Jane Eyre at only 22 years old. That was the first of nine Bronte sisters’ works he illustrated. (Susanna Andrews)
Plans to transform a historic building with Bronte links into a luxury holiday home and wedding venue have been approved.Kirklees Council, which owns the former Red House museum in Gomersal, has got the green light to go ahead with its proposals for the site.The scheme includes a major £600,000 refurbishment of currently-vacant Red House to bring it back into use, and celebrate its Bronte connections.Dating back to 1660, the Grade II* listed property and its grounds are considered an important heritage asset.They are associated with Luddite activities and the Taylor family, particularly Mary, a radical feminist and friend of Charlotte Bronte.Charlotte was a regular guest at the property in the 1830s and gave it a starring role as Briarmains in her novel, Shirley.Red House operated as a museum from 1970, but falling visitor numbers and rising costs led to its closure in 2016.The future of the building has since sparked heated debate.A decision to allow the property to be marketed for private sale prompted a petition from Red House Heritage Group in 2019, which resulted in the council’s cabinet agreeing to explore alternative uses for the site which could maintain it in public hands.And when the luxury holiday home venture was first mooted, it drew opposition from some Bronte enthusiasts, with one claiming it would "tarnish the purity of the building".The approved plans include changing the use of the main house and a detached single-storey former cart shed into short-term holiday stays, and the council wants to license the main reception hall for small weddings.The main building would offer five bedrooms and would be let to one party at a time, and the cart shed would be split into four one-bedroom flats for holiday let.A report by planning officers, who approved the change of use and listed building consent under delegated powers, states that the council’s own conservation and design department believes the plans will provide a sustainable use for the heritage asset."The building has been vacant for several years," it adds."The proposed change would provide a sustainable use, helping to secure funding for its future upkeep and preservation. The same goes for the associated cart shed which is to be developed."Last month, plans were approved for a blue plaque to be installed on the building.Spen Valley Civic Society had applied for the plaque to honour Mary Taylor. (Alistair Shand)
Lire Magazine littéraire n°516
Emily, Charlotte & Anne Brontë : Trois sœurs puissantesMars 2023- Le grand dossier sur les soeurs Brontë : Trois sœurs puissantesà l’occasion du remarquable biopic consacré à Emily. L’occasion de revenir sur leurs œuvres majeures Les Hauts de Hurlevent ou Jane Eyre et d’en savoir un peu plus sur la plus méconnue des trois : Anne…Fascinantes soeurs Brontë, dont l'histoire ressemble à un conte gothique! Il était une fois, dans l'Angleterre du début du me siècle, un vicaire réputé bon, pauvre et rigoriste, qui vivait avec ses trois filles et son fils dans un presbytère de village avec vue sur une lande archétypale. Un cancer avait emporté sa femme, et la tuberculose, ses deux premières filles; par ailleurs, son ministère lui imposait souvent de laisser sa progéniture survivante sous la garde d'une tante et d'une servante. Bientôt, les quatre enfants, qui avaient hérité des sévères conceptions de leur père, mais aussi de son goût pour la poésie, profitèrent de leur isolement pour inventer des mondes imaginaires constitués de textes, de dessins, de poèmes. Et au lieu de se lancer dans d'autres jeux, comme le font les gamins ordinaires, ils persistèrent dans celui-là. Faut-il s'étonner si, sur ces quatre enfants, trois deviendraient écrivains, dont deux - Charlotte et Emily - produiraient des oeuvres considérées aujourd'hui comme des classiques - Jane Eyre et Les Hauts de Hurlevent? Deux cents ans plus tard, les soeurs Brontë ne peuvent plus prétendre à la réclusion, cernées qu'elles sont de biographies, de travaux universitaires et d'adaptations en tout genre. Aujourd'hui, Emily voit sa courte vie faire l'objet d'un nouveau film qui enverra, n'en doutons pas, de nouveaux lecteurs visiter Hurlevent, ce « paradis pour misanthropes ». Ils y verront la beauté du style classique soutenir une inspiration hantée par mille fantômes (Alexis Brocas)SOMMAIREAu presbytère de Haworth Une famille de prodigesBranwell Le frère mauditCharlotte Brontë L'éclaireuse « féministe »Anne Brontë La réaliste méconnueEmily Brontë Le génie de la lande« Les Hauts de Hurlevent » Flamboyance du gothiqueParole d'écrivains Emily à la folieAu cinéma Amour, gloire et BrontëReprises et influentes Quand les soeurs ont le vent en pop
The cover illustration is by Babeth Lafon and can be found in her portfolio.
5. Charlotte Brontë // Jane Eyre“Mr. Rochester continued blind the first two years of our union; perhaps it was that circumstance that drew us so very near, that knit us so very close: for I was then his vision, as I am still his right hand. Literally, I was (what he often called me) the apple of his eye.”In the final chapter of Brontë’s debut novel, Jane describes her life after she returned to Thornfield Hall and married Edward Rochester, who had lost his sight and right hand in a fire during the years after her departure. She says “literally” to draw attention to the fact that he could not see and had to rely on Jane’s sight.Brontë also used literally in the figurative sense in her novel Villette: “[S]he took me to herself, and proceeded literally to suffocate me with her unrestrained spirits.” (Anastasia Rose Hyden)
My best-loved course at degree level was Literature and Christianity; unsurprisingly, perhaps, it included content such as 'The Pilgrim's Progress' - a beautiful allegory. But we also studied 'Jane Eyre', whose clean, pared-down language was soothingly reminiscent of the simplicity of prayer. (Vicky Ewan)
LitAndWhimsyShopThis Jane Eyre quote pencil set is sure to be a hit with fans of the unlikely heroine. Surprise your favorite book lover this holiday season with this ready-made gift!Each of the six pencils includes a popular quote from Charlotte Brontë’s classic book:-- I am no bird; and no net ensnares me-- I have as much soul as you.-- To prolong doubt was to prolong hope-- I need not sell my soul to buy bliss-- Reader, I married him.-- I shall be called discontented.The natural lacquered wood and understated black eraser, ferrule and type give the pencils a classic look.You'll also love the roll-resistant hexagonal shape.These #2 HB pencils have been hand stamped for a unique look and come handsomely packaged in a protective cello sleeve with cardboard backing -- ready for gift-giving.We also offer a ready-to-send gift box which contains this pencil set, a quote mug and more! Check it out here: https://etsy.me/3FZVFoX
PocketfulOfProsey• We use soft, high-quality BELLA+CANVAS brand shirts with unisex adult sizing.
• Rolled sleeves or tucked hems in photos are for styling examples only.
• Any props used in photos are not included with your purchase.
• Some colors featured in this listing may not be available at checkout depending on print provider stock.
Our t-shirts are printed direct-to-garment (ink printed into the fabric itself) at professional print facilities and will not crack or peel like surface-pressed vinyl.
Allow me to introduce you to a fun game you can play in your own parlour. You take it in turns for someone to shout out the title of a pre-21st century literary classic. The other player responds by giving the blurb of a 21st century television adaptation. It might go, for example; ‘Middlemarch!’ ’ A searing, never-more-relevant exposé of the rural chemsex scene starring Sophie Okonedo’. Or possibly; ‘Mapp and Lucia!’ ‘Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Izzard are locked in combat with the county lines gangs of the Sussex coast’. Or even: ‘Jane Eyre!’ ‘Lesley Manville and Cush Jumbo star in this accessible tale of the devastating mental health impacts of Tik-Tok addiction’. (Gareth Roberts)
The book has also been described as an “uplifting feminist manifesto”. Would you agree with that?I think that describes it pretty well. A fair bit of the book is a feminist take on issues such as internet trolling, Tory policy, childbirth, period products, and Jane Eyre’s “madwoman in the attic”. I look at most of those topics with humour but also with a bit of hope, with an eye on the future. (Liam Pape)
History's Borrowed Languages: Emily Brontë, Karl Marx, and the Novel Of 1848
Victoria Baena
ELH, Volume 90, Number 1, Spring 2023 pp. 107-135
10.1353/elh.2023.0004This essay reconsiders the place of 1848 in literary history by juxtaposing Emily Brontë's diverse strategies for incorporating and translating provincial dialects in Wuthering Heights (1847) with Karl Marx's comments on language and revolution around 1848. I first situate Brontë's interest in provincialisms within a longer history of debates over vernacular politics, before turning to Marx's metaphors of revolution as language learning and translation failure in The Eighteenth Brumaire (1852). Brontë's own use of interpolated tales and borrowed, stolen speech leads to a reflection on the ethics and politics of translation in a provincial and imperial context.
Emily Brontë is one of the most uniquely brilliant women writers who ever lived, the perfect subject for a feminist biopic. She deserves better than the shallow pop feminism of the new movie Emily. (...)Not that any of this will matter to the majority of people who want to go see this film, I have to acknowledge. It’s enraging, but as far as I can tell, the simple version of complex, compelling subject matter is ever more preferred. Nobody much cares that Emily Brontë was nothing like this doofus portrayed in Emily, or that a wiser, more visceral, less falsely pretty film based on the actual life of the woman would be a hundred times more thrilling. The swoony romance, the dopey explanation for literary achievement, the fake feminism — people like that stuff. In this case, I write for the tiny minority of possible viewers who have some sort of investment in the Brontë sisters and their writing and can still be warned off. (Eileen Jones)
«Pas un biopic», le film intitulé Emily veut «mettre en lumière» le seul destin de la romancière, décédée à trente ans au terme d'une existence solitaire dans le presbytère de Haworth dans le Yorkshire, où son père était pasteur. Il ne se contente pas d'évoquer un destin mais revient aussi sur la relation «complexe» qu'entretenait Emily Brontë avec ses sœurs, et plus particulièrement avec l'aînée, Charlotte. «Il y avait quelque chose de l'ordre d'une lutte de pouvoir», souligne la réalisatrice, dont le scénario a pris des libertés avec la réalité mais qui assure avoir «consulté de nombreuses sources bibliographiques». (Translation)
L’interprétation d’Emilie Brontë par Emma Mackey est réussie, mais la beauté de l’ensemble manque d’audace. Le romantisme noir est présent tout au long du film, avec l’autodestruction de Branwell et l’amour impossible entre Emily et son frère. Ce romantisme noir est présent dans les textes de Brontë, notamment dans son roman « Les Hauts de Hurlevent ». (Simon Bornstein) (Translation)
Une ode à l’exaltation, à la différence et à la féminité. (Translation)
Thierry Cheze: Comment on devient Emily Brontë devant sa caméra ?E.M.: D’abord de manière classique. J’ai relu Les Hauts de Hurlevent. Je me suis plongée dans la liste de biographies que m’avait envoyée Frances. J’ai regardé pas mal d’adaptations mais aussi Les Sœurs Brontë d’André Téchiné. Mais surtout je me replongeais régulièrement dans le scénario de Frances. Et petit à petit, j’en ai compris toute la dimension. Contrairement à ma première impression, son Emily était tout sauf un biopic mais une interprétation de sa vie, jouant avec les inspirations qui ont donné naissance aux Hauts de Hurlevent. Donc une fois ce travail préparatoire un peu scolaire effectué, j’ai compris que j’allais devoir lâcher prise. Aller contre ma nature en quelque sorte pour épouser le travail de Frances O’Connor qui, en jouant avec le fond, peut faire de même avec la forme : le son, les costumes… Il n’y a pas de code, pas de règle. Juste l’imagination de Frances à l’œuvre qui, pour avoir travaillé dix ans sur ce projet, maîtrise tout sur le bout des doigts et a une passion infinie pour elle. Son film raconte aussi cette passion- là. (Translation)
Yorkshire’s landscapes, its moorland and coastline, and its people have long been depicted in literature; by poets from Andrew Marvell to Simon Armitage, novelists such as Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell, Bram Stoker, and the Brontës. All are represented in this collection. Then there are post-war novelists such as David Storey and Barry Hines, who wrote about life in mining towns in the 1950s and 60s, and much-loved rural characters, not least James Herriot and Yorkshire Shepherdess, Amanda Owen.A chapter on coast and countryside explores Emily Brontë’s moorland poem High Waving Heather, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, sweeping into Whitby, Ted Hughes’ Pike, and Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden, set in a Yorkshire country house. (Emma Clayton)
Like Jane Eyre’s Rochester, Lewes was ugly yet (or so Carlisle tells us) irresistible. Eliot was ugly too: Henry James, a great admirer of her fiction, described Eliot as “magnificently ugly, deliciously hideous”. But at least she was as weighed down with baggage as Lewes. Like Rochester, Lewes was already married. True, he didn’t keep Agnes Lewes in the attic as Rochester did with Bertha, his purportedly mad Creole bride; rather Agnes, after having had three sons by Lewes, betrayed him and went on to have four more children with his friend Thornton Hunt. (Stuart Jeffries)
The filmmaker revealed, “I had two main influences. First, the movie ‘Logan’s Run,’ perhaps oddly, was one of my favorite films as a child. It was my introduction to the idea of dystopian stories and has always stayed with me. Second is the novel ‘Jane Eyre.’ I love gothic novels, I love the Brontës. And the first part of ‘Jane Eyre,’ which takes place in the Lowood Orphanage for Girls, has always haunted me.” (Naman Shrestha)
Kate Bush. Quando tinha 19 anos, a lendária cantora britânica lançou seu primeiro single chamado “Wuthering Heights”, mesmo nome do clássico romance de 1847 de Emily Brontë, publicado no Brasil como O Morro dos Ventos Uivantes.Ali, Kate Bush traduziu perfeitamente uma sombria história sobre família e paixão para uma linguagem musical e visual, com um clipe performático e fantástico. Não à toa, a faixa foi a primeira escrita por uma artista mulher a chegar ao topo das paradas do Reino Unido, e é até hoje a canção mais vendida da cantora. (Rafael Teixeira) (Translation)
Morally grey roles have long captured the attention of literature aficionados – take Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights for instance – slowly making their way into cinema and television. (Eshita Shrinivas)
Killing two birds (or bunnies?) with one stone, Bunny also offers up a critique of the elitist writer trope, gently criticizing the usual discourse around creative writing degrees and small private colleges. Awad plays upon these tropes and drags them to extremes, making the Bunnies’ dedication to gothic lit and “intertextuality” ridiculous, the pretentiousness laughable. That their projects are all iterations of men from classic literature, a well-endowed Heathcliff or modern Mr. Darcy is genius, in my opinion, and a choice that reflects Awad’s own critique of the idealization and preciousness of the liberal arts. (Grace Roberts)
Josefina Marcuzzi: En tus cuentos hay una mirada estética muy potente que se combina con una mirada política, y esto lo vemos en otras escritoras de tu generación como Liliana Colanzi o Gabriela Wiener. ¿La literatura opera como una suerte de voz generacional para hablar de ciertos temas?M.F.A.: Toda literatura es hija de su tiempo y del espíritu de su tiempo. Nosotras somos hijas de mujeres que todavía tenían los mandatos, la culpa y el deber ser mujer. Vengo de una ciudad en la que había poco acceso a la literatura y mucho menos a la literatura escrita por mujeres. Se leía lo que había: hombres, blancos, grandes, gringos. Más adelante en el tiempo somos un poco producto de las redes sociales, del Me Too, del movimiento feminista y abortista. Una ola inmensa de latinoamericanas que empezamos a salir del cascarón. Logramos cosas y tiene que ver con una toma de consciencia propia y social de que hay muchas cosas que ya no vamos a dejar pasar. Pero luego, revisando para atrás, encontramos a Clarice Lispector, Elena Garro, Amparo Dávila, Alicia Yánez. Y fuera de Latinoamérica un montón. Estas inquietudes ya estaban ahí, eran el germen. Las Ocampo, "Cumbres Borrascosas", "Mujercitas", todo lo de Virginia Woolf. (Translation)
Fabián Waital: ¿Te acuerdas la primera ‘mejor’ película que viste?GDT: La primera que vi fue Cumbres Borrascosas, de William Wyler con Laurence Olivier.
F.W.: ¿Cómo fue aquel día, la llegada, el cine... los detalles?G.D.T: Era un cine muy malo y mi mamá, no sé por qué, me llevó al cine en la tarde. Tenía sueño, empezó la película y me dormí. Me desperté en medio de una escena de lluvia y truenos y pasión, me volví a dormir y me volví a despertar en otra escena igual de barroca y gótica y todo y, creo que sí, me marcó un poco. (Translation)
Touching Romantic Words of Wisdom, including one by Emily, in Kumparan.
TaleMeCoPerhaps my most favorite classic. Therefore, I had to make this perfect quote into a sticker! I hope you guys like it! This Wuthering Heights sticker is perfect for any book lover, especially those who love gothic romance novels such as Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights and Heathcliff's and Cathy's tumultuous love. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did illustrating it! You can decorate your favorite book, laptop, phone, tumbler, planner, or anything else you'd like to show it off on!"Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same"• Size: Approximately 3x3 inches• Material: vinyl with a glossy laminate over it for more durability
CraftyEacyXStitchThis counted cross stitch kit contains; 14 count cream Zweigart Aida, pre-sorted stranded cottons, needles, stitch diagram and instructions.
Finished size 28 x 38cm.
This kit uses full cross stitch, back stitch and French knots.
Unlike a daddy (also popular as a slang term to define an older sexual partner), a sugar daddy or, God forbid, a Dilf, the zaddy is more aware of his charisma. He’s more provocative. A flirt. Zaddies tend to be unshaven, familiar with — though not married to — some gym equipment, and in possession of a devastating smirk. He’s old-fashioned, but likes fashion — a paternalistic action man. The Wire’s Idris Elba is a zaddy. So is Gary Lineker, and the Mad Men actor Jon Hamm. Brad Pitt should be a zaddy but somehow fails to make the cut. [...]Or maybe, in a time of flux, he’s precisely what we want, and the rise of the tough masculine protector hero is a corollary of these complicated, non-compartmentalising times. As Freud would be first to tell us, an attraction to father figures has long been one of our creepy lusts. It was probably born of self-preservation, as until relatively recently women were often married off to men more than twice their age. Fiction is full of charismatic older dudes prepared to “rescue” women and offer them a more exciting life. Mr Rochester, with his “little girl” endearments and allusions to “the man who had but one little ewe lamb that was dear to him as a daughter”, gives me total zaddy vibes. (Of course, Charlotte Brontë doesn’t conform to any rule: in a clever inversion of the hero complex, it is ultimately Jane Eyre who saves our man.) (Jo Ellison)
Yet this year’s list featured several legendary women who have had to cool their jets waiting to be noticed. This was the fourth nomination for Bush, a visionary, the first female artist to hit No 1 in the UK chart with a song she wrote (1979’s Wuthering Heights), at 19. She became eligible in 2004. That year, Prince was inducted – deservedly, in his first year of eligibility – along with Jackson Browne, ZZ Top, Traffic, Bob Seger, the Dells and George Harrison. The Rock Hall’s co-founder and then-chairman Jann Wenner (also the co-founder of Rolling Stone) was inducted himself. But Bush didn’t make it on the ballot until 2018 – and still she is not in.Never mind that she was the first woman in pop history to have written every track on a million-selling debut. A pioneer of synthesisers and music videos, she was discovered last year by a new generation of fans when Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) featured in the Netflix hit Stranger Things. She is still making albums. And yet there is no guarantee of her being a shoo-in this year.
"The Crying Sisters," by Mabel Seeley, is a sort of modern-day version of Jane Eyre, with a curious "spinster," a mysterious man and an isolated setting. Seeley was a native of Herman, Minn., who grew up in the Twin Cities and wrote seven mysteries in the 1930s and '40s. (Laurie Hertzel)
Emily With Cream Tea And Q&A With Producer Piers Tempest
March 19 at 11.30am screening
2pm cream tea and Q&A with Piers Tempest
£20 standard / £18 concessionBook now
Skipton Town HallA very special event for Mother’s Day including a screening of the hit film Emily, a Q&A with the film’s producer Piers Tempest and a delicious cream tea from Alexander’s.
Enjoy a screening of Emily at Skipton Town Hall before heading over the road to Alexander’s for a Q&A with the film’s producer Piers Tempest. Piers is a founder of company Tempo Productions which has produced films including The Wife, for which Glenn Close received an Oscar nomination, and Military Wives.
Alexander’s will also be serving a cream tea including homemade fruit and vanilla scones with jam and clotted cream, delicate cakes, and a cup of tea. Thank you to Taylors of Harrogate and Yorkshire Tea for the afternoon tea.
A former museum building with Brontë links can be turned into a luxury holiday home and a wedding venue.Kirklees Council, which owns the former Red House museum building in Gomersal, has been given approval to go ahead with its plans for the site.Submitted over a year ago, they include a £600,000 investment to completely refurbish Red House and to bring it back into use, celebrating its Brontë connections. [...]Prior to its closure in 2016, Red House operated as a community museum, but visitor numbers and increasing costs made the site unviable. It has been predominantly vacant since.The plans themselves include changing the use of the main house and a detached single-storey former cart shed into short-term holiday stays, and the Council wants to license the main reception hall for small weddings.The main building would offer five bedrooms and would be let to one party at a time, and the cart shed would be split into four one-bedroom flats for holiday let.In a report by planning officers, who approved the change of use and listed building consent under delegated powers, it states that the Council’s own conservation and design department believe the plans will provide a sustainable use for the heritage asset.“The building has been vacant for several years and the proposal is for the change of use from its former use as a museum to short term holiday accommodation.“As such, the proposed change of use would provide a sustainable use for this important heritage asset, helping to secure funding for its future upkeep and preservation. The same goes for the associated cart shed which is to be developed.Earlier this year, Councillor Paul Davies, cabinet member for corporate, told the Telegraph & Argus that the Council’s cabinet had approved a £600,000 investment to carry out a comprehensive refurbishment of Red House, to bring it back into use as a luxury holiday home, “unique in its Brontë connections”.“At a time when there is increasing pressure on council finances, the income generated by holiday stays is a financially astute way of retaining the property in public ownership, and means that we can continue to offer managed community access to a site which we know is much-loved by local people.” (Jo Winrow)
Jane & Edward: A Modern Reimagining of Jane Eyre is exactly what it says on the tin—but that doesn’t convey the utter brilliance and remarkable competence with which debut author Melodie Edwards pulls off this retelling. Charlotte Brontë’s most popular novel has been adapted numerous times for various audiences, some hewing more closely to the source material than others which merely use it as loose inspiration, but Jane & Edward is truly a masterpiece that will set the bar impossibly high for other future retellings.The titular characters are transplanted into our modern day society, and their surnames, occupations and backgrounds are updated by necessity, but it’s done in a most elegant fashion that still believably moulds them into recognisable representations of their counterparts from the classic story. At a tender young age, Jane is left an orphan at the mercy of the foster care system after the premature passing of her father, a gifted professor renowned in academic circles, but absentminded and careless when it came to providing for his daughter. The author outlines Jane’s growth from her teenage years to her early 20s with a focus on how alone and neglected Jane is, bereft of all company and comfort, but without giving in to any need for tawdry embellishment or heavy-handed melodrama. It is enough to witness how frugal Jane must be to stretch her limited funds as a waitress, the compromises and indignities she must shrug off just to barely remain above the poverty line. But finally Jane is done with her grey, dreary existence of just making do and pushes herself outside her comfort zone to pursue a new career as a legal assistant which is how she winds up at the illustrious law firm Rosen, Haythe & Thornfield. [...]A deft and clever retelling that effortlessly retains the traits of the classic characters loved for generations while positioning them in a realistic modern context. Jane & Edward continues to explore the timeless themes of social inequality, the struggle for financial security and the innately human desire for love and a place to belong that Charlotte Brontë originally raised in Jane Eyre. With a quietly capable, charming and resilient heroine following the difficult path of learning to value herself and stand firm on what she believes in plus a prickly, blustering yet hopelessly endearing love interest, this is a beautifully heart-warming and enchanting story destined to be a comfort read for countless bookworms. (Annie Deo)
Course Dates: 18/03/23 - 25/03/23Time: 10:00 - 13:00Location: Keeley StreetTutors: Sarah WiseWe will explore various themes related to insanity and altered states of consciousness by examining a number of 19th-century works of fiction. Novelists and poets often had the greatest insights into the workings of the mind, and many Victorian psychiatrists cited works of fiction in their case studies. Among the authors we will cover are Charlotte Brontë, Edgar Allan Poe, Wilkie Collins, Gogol, Herman Melville and Charlotte Perkins Gilman.What will we cover?-The Fall of the House of Usher (1839). Poe’s short story contains a range of psychological phenomena. They include: morbidity, neurosis/hysteria, heredity, possibly also venereal disease.-Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847). We will concentrate on: ‘moral insanity’, alcoholism, serious delusional disorder/‘schizophrenia’, the menstrual cycle, home-incarcerated ‘lunatics’.-The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins (1860). Wrongful or malicious asylum certification. Learning difficulties.-The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1892). Gilman’s short story/novella covers: post-natal psychosis, the medicalisation of femininity, the late 19th-century diagnosis ‘neurasthenia’.-Bartleby The Scrivener by Herman Melville (1853): ‘monomania’, autism, work-related anxiety, the ‘crisis’ of masculinity.-The Diary of A Madman by Nikolai Gogol (1834); paranoia, delusions of grandeur.-Harriet by Elizabeth Jenkins (1934). The plight of the learning disabled, legal measures to protect those deemed incapable of caring for themselves, the passing of the 1913 Mental Deficiency Act.
Néanmoins, le film termine avec un dernier acte empreint d’un romantisme noir qui saura conquérir le cœur de n’importe quel adepte du genre et de n’importe quel émo passé ou actuel.En d’autres termes, Emily n’est certes pas tout à fait sans défauts, mais la sincérité de son hommage, la force de ses personnages et la beauté de ses images auront raison des réserves du spectateur, et le laisseront flotter dans un doux nuage de poésie triste. Car la fin est évidemment tragique, comme il ne pouvait en être autrement de l’histoire de l’autrice décédée prématurément, et qui avait tant parlé de la mort dans ce qui reste aujourd’hui un sommet de littérature. (Judith Beauvallet) (Translation)
Les images du Yorkshire de Frances O’Connor, la maison basse ouverte à tous les vents, les couleurs de la lande, les lumières intérieures, les robes à carreaux et bonnets ne peuvent évidemment guère se différencier des autres films. Les sujets se déroulent dans des décors semblables, avec les personnages identiques, même si le traitement est différente. Ce sentiment ressort également des adaptations de Jane Austen. Plus récemment découverte en France, l’auteure de Raison et sentiments semble avoir pris, de ce point de vue, le relais des sœurs Brontë.Au-delà de ces constances, le film de Frances O’connor tient ses promesses, Emily Brontë trouve son incarnation en Emma Mackey. L’atmosphère romantique et bucolique du film est noircie par l’autodestruction de Branwell, et l’amour impossible que voue Emily à son frère. Une violence des sentiments et des pulsions morbides qui relèvent du romantisme noir, dont Les Hauts de Hurlevent est un des fleurons littéraires. Si on le reconnaît dans Emily, sa beauté manque toutefois d’audace. (Jacky Bornet) (Translation)
Jalouse, va. Sa sœur lui dit qu'elle a écrit un livre ignoble. Emily est mourante et c'est tout ce que Charlotte trouve à faire. Elle ne veut pas croire que Les Hauts de Hurlevent aient nécessité seulement une plume et du papier. Effectivement, il y a autre chose. Cette chose s'appelle William Weightman. C'est le nouveau vicaire, vague sosie de Daniel Day-Lewis, au charme duquel Emily ne demeure pas insensible. La demoiselle est brune et originale. Dans le village, on la surnomme «la bizarre». Elle tient à être à la hauteur de sa réputation. S'affubler d'un masque, faire parler les esprits, pour elle, il s'agit d'un jeu d'enfant. Il n'est pas question qu'elle devienne institutrice. Rêver, inventer des histoires, rester fidèle à ses songes et à son imagination, voilà son programme. Elle n'avait pas prévu de tomber amoureuse. Cette Emily est un tourbillon en robe à motifs. Emma Mackey soutient de bout en bout cette genèse d'un chef-d'œuvre. Elle est sauvage, tourmentée: une abeille contre la vitre. Il est toujours plaisant de se rouler dans le mélodrame, de suivre à la trace une figure d'écrivain. Frances O'Connor affiche un classicisme qui relève presque de l'audace. Elle multiplie les courses au ralenti sur la lande, s'offre une musique un chouïa envahissante, a parfois tendance à confondre le romantisme avec des gracieusetés champêtres à la Terrence Malick. (E. N.) (Translation)
Wild Beautiful and Free by Sophfronia Scott takes place during the American Civil War and has been described as a retelling of Jane Eyre. Jeannette, the mixed race daughter of a plantation owner and an enslaved woman becomes an orphan, is sold into slavery and yet faces her life with positivity. We follow her on a journey that explores family, perseverance and risk, going from tragedy to triumph. I am thrilled to be welcoming Sophfronia Scott to Book Nation Book Club to discuss her book, writing and her inspiration. (Jennifer Blankfein)
Bridgerton invokes many themes which make up the core of Europe's Romanticism Movement. During the 19th century, the Romanticism Movement emphasized emotions and individualism, nature, and wariness of science and industrialization. The movement directly responded to the Industrial Revolution and affected visual arts, literature, music, and intellectualism. Authors like Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters wrote novels about the "sensibility" culture that pervades Bridgerton, and in particular, propriety and the roles of women in society. Additionally, Romantic novels had a heavy focus on the individual which is a major point for Bridgerton's characters who have their own unique desires and personalities. (Megan Hemenway)
And if it’s countryside you’re looking for, both of its national parks will suit you.“You don’t have to be Cathy or Heathcliff to revel in the rolling hills and pretty villages, the rugged landscapes of the Moors or the dramatic coastline – which includes the eerie ruins of Whitby Abbey, fictional home of Dracula. (Molly Court)
Last night Principal Curator, Ann Dinsdale made an appearance on Jonathan Ross’s ‘Myths and Legends’ on More 4 @Channel4 talking about the influence of folklore and the supernatural on the Brontës!
— Brontë Parsonage Museum (@BronteParsonage) March 14, 2023
The episode is available to watch on demand now: https://t.co/j07oqh91JY pic.twitter.com/8W82KjIASI
Jonathan Ross' Myths and Legends
Jonathan Ross goes in search of Britain's fantastical forgotten fables, mythical mysteries and lost local legends
Episode 1Mon 13 Mar, 9pm | 47 mins
In Whitby, Jonathan learns about Dracula and mythical cave-dwelling creatures. Then he heads to Mother Shipton's Cave in Knaresborough and to the Moors to find out about the will-o'-the-wisps
Portrait intimiste où des pans de la vie d’Emily Brontë se mêlent à son œuvre, le premier long métrage de Frances O’Connor dépeint l’autrice en jeune femme recluse. Emily (Emma Mackey) réside dans le presbytère de son pasteur de père. Personnalité farouche et sagace, celle qu’on surnomme la Bizarre est filmée en gros plans par la cinéaste. Mais c’est sur son travail de romancière, limité à une œuvre magistrale, « les Hauts de Hurlevent », que la réalisatrice s’appuie pour déployer un univers gothique et reprendre les codes du film d’horreur. Jouant sur les passerelles entre son existence et son œuvre, elle décrit son frère Branwell (Fionn Whitehead), un être d’ordinaire jovial, assombri sous les effets de l’alcool et des drogues qui inspire le personnage de Heathcliff, antihéros tortueux et colérique de son roman.Dans cette famille heureuse en apparence, Emily dissimule la souffrance liée à la perte de sa mère et de ses sœurs aînées. S’ajoutent des éléments fantastiques. Un masque redonne vie à l’âme de la mère. La nature apparaît sauvage et déchaînée, telle cette pluie inondant les collines du Yorkshire ou le vent entrant avec fracas dans la maison paisible des Brontë. Ces bourrasques dont le sifflement est amplifié par une symphonie originale d’Abel Korzeniowski symbolisent une sorte d’émanation à la fois inquiétante et propice à la création. « Emily » devient ainsi une œuvre musicale. Les images prennent un tour pictural avec la multiplication de plans fixes aux allures de tableau clair-obscur de Vermeer. Hélas, une histoire d’amour fictive avec un vicaire, William Weightman, dont la mort aurait poussé Emily à écrire son roman, outrepasse les aspects historiques pourtant très fins du récit. Du grandiose, le film sombre dans la guimauve. (Aurélia de Spirt) (Translation)
Ainsi, Emily s'éloigne de la vraie vie de la cadette des Brontë. Ainsi, il semblerait que la romancière n'ait jamais vécu de romance torride avec un jeune pasteur, ou du moins ce n'est pas attesté (les soupçons porterait plutôt sur sa soeur, Anne Brontë). Mais cela vient expliquer comment une jeune femme qui n'aurait, semble-t-il, pas vécu de romance ait pu imaginer l'histoire passionnelle d'Heathcliff et Catherine, les protagonistes de son roman. Les férus d'exactitude seront peut-être déstabilisés, mais la poésie métaphorique qui émane de la mise en scène offre un regard neuf et presque magique sur son romance et sa mystérieuse autrice.Dans le rôle-titre, Emma Mackey (Sex Education, Eiffel) est magnétique. L'actrice de 27 ans est de tous les plans et peut exprimer l'étendu de son talent. Les amateurs de littérature anglaise y trouveront leur compte, les autres pourront se laisser happer par la performance d'actrice, plonger dans la mystique des landes anglaises, et comprendre davantage l'une des plus grandes oeuvres du XIXe siècle. Mais si vous cherchez un biopic formel qui retrace avec exactitude la vie de la cadette des Brontë, Emily n'est peut-être pas fait pour vous. (Manon Bricard) (Translation)
It’s a tale as old as time – the ‘bad boy’ with a dark past, less-than-pleasant demeanour, and a leather jacket falls for the hard-working, considerate girl and turns over a new leaf (or not). Somewhere in between are instances of long nights spent crying into tissues or even angry outbursts. Morally grey roles have long captured the attention of literature aficionados – take Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights for instance – slowly making their way into cinema and television. (Eshita Srinivas)
The designs have appropriately literary names familiar to Austen and Brontë fans: a brocade ballgown is named Linton “after the fancy family in Wuthering Heights,” a puffy shouldered, A-line taffeta dress is known as the “Bovary” after Flaubert’s flouncing heroine. (Ellie Pithers)
Before IV fluids became routinely available in the 1900s, hyperemesis killed pregnant women often enough that medical literature listed excessive vomiting as a reason to induce abortion because of the danger it posed to the mother’s life. Some experts believe that the death of the author Charlotte Brontë in 1855 was most likely caused by hyperemesis, not tuberculosis, as was listed on her death certificate.Today, deaths from hyperemesis are rare, but they do occur, as do serious complications. (Alice Callahan)
3. ‘Wuthering Heights’“Wuthering Heights” by Kate Bush is a hauntingly beautiful and iconic song that captures the intensity and passion of Emily Brontë’s classic novel of the same name. Bush’s ethereal vocals, accompanied by a driving beat and atmospheric instrumentation, perfectly convey the sense of longing and desperation that permeates the story. The lyrics are a reflection of the novel’s protagonist, Catherine Earnshaw, as she struggles to come to terms with her own desires and the societal expectations placed upon her. The song’s chorus, with its soaring vocals and hypnotic melody, has become one of the most recognizable and beloved in music history. “Wuthering Heights” is a timeless classic that continues to inspire and captivate audiences with its unique blend of literary inspiration, poetic lyrics, and unforgettable musical performance. (Simon Robinson)
Brontë Babies
South Square Centre, South Square, Thornton, Bradford BD13 3LDThu 16 Mar 10:00am - 12:00pm
The Brontë Society is teaming again with the South Square Centre in Thornton to deliver Brontë Babies, a gentle sensory play and storytelling session for ages 0-4 and their adults.
Play and explore together in a relaxed environment. There will be things to touch, see, hear, and maybe even smell... Also includes two short storytelling sessions inspired by the Brontës, including interactive objects and guided Makaton!
Wuthering Heights by Emily BrontёI had heard of this novel before but had never picked it up—wow, was I ever missing out. In this story, the trauma of losing parental figures pushes young Catherine and Heathcliff to form an intensely codependent bond. It’s not exactly a love story, and the characters aren’t exactly good people—in fact, both are deeply manipulative, violent, and jealous to the point of fury in different ways. The world Emily Brontë creates is full of abuse and torment, and Catherine and Heathcliff’s love is monstrous and mutually destructive. What I love about Wuthering Heights is that its characters feel so real and complex. There are several points where the trauma they endure, and inflict on others, is as raw and present as an exposed nerve. However long ago this novel was written, the emotions still resonate today. (Sapphyre Smith)
Mais qu’importent, après tout, ces écarts par rapport à la vérité historique ! Plus fâcheux dans l’appréciation de ce film par ailleurs bien interprété, tout particulièrement par Emma Mackey dans le rôle d’Emily, ce sont, en vrac, la trop grande longueur du film, le côté « je me regarde filmer » de la réalisatrice et le côté envahissant de la musique d’accompagnement. (Jean-Jacques Corrio) (Translation)
An evening of love it was. Love among sisters who attended, love between women onstage and off. The joy of giving and receiving rose from the packed concert hall in a pandemic world in which everything is appreciated that much more, when, as Mr Rochester in Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea noted about the Caribbean, everything is “too lush, too green, too fragrant”. (Dr Sheila Rampersad)
“She Resolutely Refuses to See a Doctor”: Rereading Emily Brontë and Tuberculosis in 1848; or Charlotte Brontë, Sickness and Correspondence
Claire O’CallaghanWomen's Writing, 29:4, 566-582, DOI: 10.1080/09699082.2022.2122324This article reads Charlotte Brontë’s letters documenting her sister Emily Brontë’s experience of tuberculosis in late 1848, considering how the correspondence has cultivated a one-sided account of Emily’s final months. Rereading the letters analytically, I argue that the differences between the sisters thatCharlotte articulates gravitate around her implicit conception of the “good” consumptive, with Emily’s resistance positioning her unfairly as a “bad” patient. Informed by Roy Porter’s conception of “patient centred”, I read against the grain of Charlotte’s letters to challenge dominant accounts of Emily’s illness and death. I suggest that when considered contextually and from Emily’s point of view, Charlotte letters offer alternate ways to understand Emily’s experience of tuberculosis and her behaviour in her final months.
Le film de Frances O’Connor est d’une belle délicatesse. Il permet de brosser le portrait d’une femme indépendante coincée par le carcan que la société de l’époque lui impose. On voit très bien comment sa propre famille a influé sur son œuvre majeure, le seul roman qu’elle a publié dans son existence. Alors que sa rencontre avec un nouveau revenu la confronte à l’amour.L’œuvre se déroule en très grande partie dans la belle maison familiale de la famille Brontë. Elle permet aussi d’apprécier les paysages de la campagne environnante qui ont aussi un rôle à jouer dans l’imaginaire de la jeune femme.Cette dernière est remarquablement incarnée par Emma Mackey qui s’approprie totalement ce personnage réel pour en proposer un magnifique portrait. On s’attache beaucoup à elle, à son désir de faire ce qu’elle veut, à ses fêlures intimes, à ses chagrins et à ses grandes joies.Oliver Jackson-Cohen est impeccable dans le rôle de l’objet de ses désirs, qui est en conflit avec sa passion et ses croyances. Alexandra Dowling et Amelia Gething sont très bonnes dans le rôle de ses sœurs, Charlotte et Anne, que l’on connaît aussi pour leurs écrits. Et Fionn Whitehead est formidable dans celui de son frère qui aime la vie.Un très beau soin a été porté au costume par Michael O’Connor. La belle photographie de Nanu Segal apporte un charme certain à cette histoire touchante. Alors que la musique d’Abel Korzeniowski est vraiment magnifique. En effet, le choix d’une partition plutôt classique, exécutée notamment au piano, se marie parfaitement avec l’histoire de cette autrice majeure de la littérature anglo-saxonne.Emily est un bon film touchant et sincère mettant en avant une romancière que son roman a éclipsée. Avec une histoire mettant en avant un beau portrait de femme inspirant, une réalisation très soignée et une comédienne qui crève l’écran, cette plongée au cœur du 19ème siècle en Angleterre est une belle réussite.Intéressant et émouvant. (Isabelle Arnaud) (Translation)
Ma anche quelle donne che scrissero d’amore perché erano vissute prima della liberazione della bestia hanno lasciato tracce profonde nel conflitto tra psiche, corpo e società, come nell’unico romanzo di Emily Brontë, Cime tempestose, a metà Ottocento. Perché questa non è una semplice storia d’amore e morte, come nel più noto canone romantico, ma il racconto di come il razzismo di classe può scatenare mostri fatti di vendetta per la emarginazione del povero, e una sinistra fascinazione che dura oltre le umane vicissitudini. Lo ha messo bene in evidenza un’altra importante scrittrice d’oggi, Joyce Carol Oates, che ha paragonato la fascinazione violenta di Heathcliff a quella che emana dal Re Lear di Shakespeare, nel quale i conflitti avvengono anche e soprattutto all’interno delle famiglie. Oates ha sondato il sottosuolo dei conflitti e della violenza americani seguendo la strada segnata da un’altra americana, Flannery O’Connor, che, fin dal titolo di uno dei suoi capolavori, Il cielo è dei violenti, ha narrato quel territorio di confine tra spirito, assoluto, caduta, violenza che viene da molto lontano, non solo da Faulkner ma anche dalle Scritture e arriva a Marilynne Robinson, che fa conti abissali con un Dio che torna a disturbare, come nella Leggenda del Grande inquisitore di Dostoevskij, la sonnolenta vita di ognuno. (Marco Testi) (Translation)
Wide Sargasso SeaJean Rhys, 192 pages (1966)After publishing a volume of stories and a quartet of short novels, Jean Rhys retreated to Cornwall and fell silent for more than two decades. Her pen didn’t still, however: haunted by the first Mrs Rochester in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, Rhys compulsively wrote and rewrote what would become her masterpiece. Wide Sargasso Sea tells the story of Antoinette Cosway, the Creole heiress destined to end her days in Thornfield Hall’s attic. Vibrant, hallucinatory, yet wholly stripped of melodrama, its casual tone contrasts with prose that’s alert and precise, easily matching the power of the capacious novel that nudged it into being.
At the Courtauld Gallery, a small show of recent work by Peter Doig (b.1959), the Scottish-born artist now living in London again after years in Trinidad. Such an exhibition should be a tonic in these late winter days: here is so much colour. But be warned. His vast canvases are not sun lamps for the soul.The mood, overwhelmingly, is one of alienation; for all their colour, most have a swampy weirdness that makes me think of the writer Jean Rhys (Wide Sargasso Sea) as much as of Claude Monet. Alice at Boscoe’s (2014-23), in which the artist’s daughter lies in a hammock overhung with heavy fronds, is striking for the way the plants seem more alive than the child. In Night Bathers (2011-19), a woman reclines by moonlight on a sandy beach, her skin purplish-blue like that of a dolphin (or a corpse). Such a mingling of the animate and the ghostly is an enduring motif of Doig’s, and it remains peculiar and unnerving. (Rachel Cooke)
Brianna BeehlerELH, Volume 89, Number 1, Spring 2022In the nineteenth century, dolls were powerful emblems of mourning practices, teaching children how to perform the rites of grief, death, and burial. However, nineteenth-century children found that burial brought about equal promises of reanimation (a doll that is buried can be dug up again). The possible reversibility of doll burial (and thus death) became a source of narrative potential for the Brontës, who used toy soldiers to create fictions that reversed death. For Charlotte Brontë, this play spanned from her early writing to her novel Shirley, which she writes to bring her sisters back from the dead.
